Role Description:Arcadis is seeking a highly experienced wastewater operations professional to serve in a key leadership role supporting a major municipal wastewater treatment facility in the San Diego region.
This position will act as the primary liaison between the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and a third-party private wastewater treatment plant operator. The successful candidate will help ensure that operational performance, regulatory compliance, maintenance activities, and capital improvements are communicated transparently, coordinated effectively, and executed successfully.
The ideal candidate has extensive experience operating and managing municipal wastewater treatment plants, understands the full range of day-to-day plant challenges, and can build credibility with operators, maintenance personnel, engineers, regulators, contractors, and agency leadership.
Role Accountabilities: The Senior Wastewater Operations Manager / Owner's Representative will serve as the technical and operational bridge between the facility operator and IBWC. This role requires a practical, hands-on leader who understands the complete operation of a municipal wastewater treatment plant and can independently evaluate performance, identify risks, communicate concerns, and facilitate solutions.
The selected professional must have the operational credibility to engage in meaningful discussions involving treatment processes, staffing, maintenance, safety, compliance, budgeting, asset management, plant reliability, emergency response, and capital improvement planning.
Key responsibilities include:
- Serve as the primary operational liaison between the wastewater treatment plant operator and IBWC leadership.
- Provide independent review and oversight of plant operations, maintenance programs, safety practices, and regulatory compliance activities.
- Promote timely, accurate, and transparent communication among the owner, operator, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders.
- Monitor treatment plant performance and evaluate operational effectiveness against contractual, regulatory, and performance requirements.
- Review operating reports, compliance data, maintenance activities, staffing levels, process trends, and key performance indicators.
- Lead and participate in operational meetings, plant reviews, inspections, audits, and stakeholder discussions.
- Evaluate treatment processes, plant reliability, operator practices, maintenance strategies, laboratory functions, and training programs.
- Identify operational risks early and recommend practical actions to protect compliance, safety, reliability, and continuity of service.
- Support planning and coordination of major maintenance events, shutdowns, startups, commissioning activities, and capital improvement projects.
- Prepare executive briefings, technical memoranda, operational assessments, and clear recommendations for agency leadership.
- Serve as a trusted advisor on municipal wastewater operations and operational readiness.
- Support a culture of safety, accountability, compliance, continuous improvement, and professional collaboration.
Required Qualifications - Operator Certification in one or more states for water and/or wastewater.
- 10+ years of municipal water and/or wastewater operations experience.
- Candidates must demonstrate a solid understanding of water and/or wastewater process equipment, as well as familiarity with distribution or collection system assets
Preferred Qualifications - Operator Certification for both water and wastewater in one or more states.
- Prior leadership or management experience in the operations and maintenance (O&M) of public utility systems.
- Experience in asset management, Reliability Centered Maintenance, energy management and/or emergency response training are highly desirable.
- Ability to work effectively in a team with strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, excellent at building both internal and client relationships.
Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement. We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $175,000. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.
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